The Best Wedding Dresses for Plus Sized Brides – A Guide

The right wedding dress should not only make you look good but feel good
too, regardless of your body type and size. With plus-size
women representing 68% of shoppers, there are more wedding dress designs
available than ever before, meaning that if you’re a curvy plus sized bride to
be, you have a lot of options out there.

But
not every dress will suit every bride.

It’s
important to consider the wedding dress silhouettes that will suit your figure
best and show it to advantage. Let’s take a look at the best wedding dresses
for plus sized brides to make you feel and look your absolute best.

The
A-Line Silhouette for the Plus Sized Bride

If
you’re looking for more coverage and wanting to be more discreet, the A-line
dress, which is a universal design that suits most body types, is an excellent
choice.

The
design is similar to the letter A, with a narrow top gradually flaring as it
reaches the bottom. For a curvy bride with wider hips, the A-line provides a
skirt that balances the proportions of your body.

This
silhouette is perfect at defining the waist while hiding any unflattering
bulges or larger lower half under the flared skirt. The result is a gorgeously
proportioned figure, with a clearly defined waist.

The
Dropped Waist for The Plus Sized Bride

Another
excellent option is a wedding dress with a dropped waist which can complement
your curves in all the right places.

The drop waist dress, also known as the flapper
dress, is designed with a low waist that allows the lower half of the dress to
fall more in line with the hips than at the natural level of the waist. This
dress style suits larger brides as it gives the illusion of lengthening the
body. The elongated bodice of a dropped waist gown defines
the waist, making you appear taller.

However,
note that this style can be unforgiving, depending on the type of fabric it’s
made of. Choose a more structured fabric to avoid unnecessary clinginess and
highlighting of unflattering aspects of your body.

The
Ball Gown for The Plus Sized Bride

Another
design that brings out the best of curves is the ballgown which is very similar
to the A-line, with the key difference being that the ball gown has a fuller
skirt. It’s more of a princess-style design, perfect if you’ve always wanted
that big white wedding.

The
ball gown highlights the upper half of the body and shows off your waist,
accentuating this slimmest part of the torso. For the plus sized bride, the
ball gown enhances the upper half and allows the flowing fabric to hide a large
lower body.

However,
a word of warning. For brides with a large upper body, the ballgown can make
you look overlarge. If you feel this is the case, the less fuller skirts of the
A-line silhouette would be a better alternative.

The
Fit and Flare (a.k.a. Mermaid or Trumpet) For The Plus Sized Bride

A
fit and flare wedding gown has a figure-hugging bodice and a skirt that flares
beneath the hips. These tend to compliment the curvy upper body while giving an
illusion of added height. The mermaid wedding dress silhouette has its skirt
flaring out below the knees. These dresses are fitted and accentuate the waist.
The trumpet wedding dress silhouette has a skirt that flares around the thighs,
giving the illusion of longer legs.

For
the plus sized bride, these styles are most flattering fabric like organza is
used along with ruching that creates a 3-dimensional look and emphasises the
curves and contours of the figure while still hiding any unflattering aspects.

The
Sheath Dress for The Plus Sized Bride

Opting
for a sheath dress can make any bride appear taller and leaner, making this an
ideal option for plus sized brides.

Similar
to the sheath of a sword, this silhouette is a narrow long dress that skims the body in an uninterrupted line from top to bottom.
It can be loose or tight, depending on the design and your preference and
particularly complements full figured brides with proportional body curves.

An added bonus with the sheath wedding
dress silhouette is that it can be an effortless dress to wear making it
more comfortable, as it requires less fabric than other silhouettes.

Tips
to Consider When Selecting the Perfect Plus Sized Wedding Dress

Now
that you have covered the basics on wedding dress silhouettes, here are some additional
bridal fashion tips that you should consider when selecting your perfect dress.

Consider
using an inbuilt corset with your dress as it tends to shapen your body
and gives you a slimmer appearance. The corset gives a lot of support while
emphasising the waist and carving out the curves of a full-figured bride
beautifully.

Consider the neckline.
While the sweetheart neckline is the most popular, a silhouette with straps or sleeves
allow you to avoid strap free silhouettes that may not fit your figure well or
need to be hoisted up. Further, straps and sleeves provide a supporting element
that will add to your comfort while being stylish and beautiful. Since its
runway hit in 2015, the illusion high neck has been a fashion trend suitable
for any wedding type and gives the look of a long, lean neck for the full-figured
bride.

Choosing a wedding dress silhouette with a high-low hemline can create the illusion of height as it tends to elongate the legs. The high-low hemline adds drama as it is quite unconventional and is best suited for an avant garde bride that wants to stand out.

Why not consider non-traditional wedding attire, like bridal jumpsuits? These suit the modern bride who prefers to have the best of both worlds. Unlike wedding dress silhouettes, jumpsuits allow brides to be comfortable on their special day while providing shape and structure that accentuates the waist and legs. For a plus sized bride with proportional curves, the jumpsuit can be very flattering.

Sleeves tend to flatter your upper body allowing the plus sized bride to have just enough upper arm coverage that can add to style and romance.

Wedding dress alterations
are costly but it’s generally more expensive to make a dress bigger than
smaller. Aim to find a dress that best fits the largest area of your body and
have the dress tailored to fit the smaller areas, saving you money in the
process.

Look for ruching
as this can flatter a plus sized figure while giving the dress a lot more
structure. When a dress is ruched in asymmetrical patterns, this gives a
vertical shape to the gown and draws the eye up to the face. Overall, look for
asymmetry in detailing which balances out the proportions and adds in an
artistic factor.

Avoid sheer or clingy fabrics
like chiffon or charmeuse, as they tend to highlight the contours. Instead, opt
for fabrics such as taffeta, organza, lace, and duchess satin that
flatter the curvy figure due to their more structured style.

Most designers offer their dress sizes
up to size 24. If your size is not available on the rack, go ahead and contact
the label. At times there could be an extra charge as the sizes go up, but it
could be worth it.

Note
that these are all guidelines. At the end of the day, the important thing is
how you feel about the dress you’re going to wear as that will impact on your
confidence which in turn, impacts on how you look.